For baseball fans under the age of 35, reading the Mitchell report should be like taking repeated shots to the groin without the Nutty Buddy. With 75 names and guys who get shipped all over the country, you know your idols didn't escape. Me? I grew up in NorCal. Matt Williams? He was our hero on the hot-corner. Glenallen Hill? The only pro player from the small town I was growing up in. That's a......

The Malibu fire is now 25% contained. At least 35 structures have been destroyed and thousands were forced to flee as wind whipped flames ravaged the coastal town. The cause of the blaze is not known at this time, but crews haven't ruled out CNN's Glen Beck. In other fire-related news, two people died this morning when a house fire ripped through their Pasadena home. The cause of the fire is unknown. A woman......

The country's safest city (some years, anyway), is getting less and less so: a shooting this morning at a Simi Valley tire store left two dead and two injured. Police have ruled out robbery and suspect a personal motive in the attack. There are a few updates on the potential water cutbacks -- although Los Angeles is okay for now (thanks to the Owens Valley), the time may come when water rationing will be......

This weed was imported from Santa Cruz by an amateur grower. It's called Pot of Gold. It's for sale for $50 an 8th and is slowly creeping into local Los Angeles living rooms. Pot of Gold seeds come from Flying Dutchmen seed company, and won 2nd prize at the 2003 Cannabis Cup in the Indica category. Pre-Smoke Examination: The buds are very round and fat. It's extremely fresh off the vine, and the nugs......

Would you like some sexy tree with that sushi? Carefree Trees is on Overland Ave. and specializes in artificial trees and home accessories. We're not sure how sexy a fake tree can be, but we do know that a few years ago in Santa Cruz, some priapic trees caused a stir. Imagine rolling down a nice neighborhood street to be confronted by two large balls and a schlong. Apparently, no trimming was done, it......

Division Day, the indie pop band hailing from Santa Cruz and formed in 2001, is out with their debut full length album, Beartrap Island, a combination of echoey sounds, exciting drums, and catchy choruses. Originally from northern California the band makes its home in Los Angeles now, more specifically Eagle Rock's "rock block" - the neighborhood known for its numerous recording studios and rehearsal spaces. Known for their relentless touring and somewhat mischevious behavior......

Got squeezed out of the Coachella madness and now find yourself without one of those prized three-day wristbands? Before you slit your wrists for not getting tickets in Indio for the much anticipated comeback of Zack de la Guevara fronting the band that only he should be leading, know that Rage Against The Machine announced today that they will be co-headlining the Rock the Bells mini-tour with their pals, the lovable Wu-Tang Gang. Rock......

Personally we don't get the hate for Mark "The Cobra Snake". Sure he gets to hang out with hot young chicks and take their pictures and go to hipster clubs and take pictures, and go to fun concerts and take pictures and get paid mo money mo money, but hi, that's his job. He's a photographer, and judging from most of the pics that we see on the Interwebs, he should be getting paid.......

Brian Hart is an astrophysicist working towards his PhD at UC Irvine. He's also deeply committed to sharing his enthusiasm for the world around us. After attending a conference about PBS's "Nova ScienceNOW" series in 2004, Brian decided to launch the Southern California branch of the Science Cafe, which is part of an international network of science education discussion groups that have sprouted up in cafes all over the world (the first one started......

Fade In: Homeless shelter - The co-creator of "Good Times" is living in the Bell homeless shelter. He once had an NAACP award and a 4-bedroom house in Taraza, but that was before the crack and strokes. Now he's got a laptop and 30 scripts; he tells the LA Times, "I'm never that far away from a blockbuster hit." We're thinking he should pitch his life's story — before the LA Times writer who......

Speaking of Starring LA, Constantine opens this weekend with Los Angeles, Sunset Boulevard in particular, as it's major backdrop (well when Keanu Reeves isn't spending time in Hell). Hank Steuver in his review of the film says, "Hollywood really believes it's got a lock on the infernal...in the Goth mind-set of who-knows-how-many screenwriters, there can apparently be nothing creepier than a dive/dance bar populated by the demonic undead, in which you'll find your Lestats,......

While big box stores are turning the retail landscape of this country into an undistinguishable monolithic entity, creative retailers like Lyvonne Hill, owner of Grometville in Silver Lake, help beat back this trend while adding to the character of our neighborhoods. Seemingly superficial activities and consumer choices nevertheless are tied to the texture and appeal of life in Los Angeles (even though we all know opportunities to shop and consume are not the end......

LAist talked with Ezra Klein of the political blog pandagon.net this weekend. Ezra’s been engaged and blogging this election for over a year and a half. His site, which he co-blogs along with Jesse Taylor, boasts around 25,000 hits a day. Needless to say, his voice gets heard (or his words get read). He recently transferred to UCLA from UC Santa Cruz and has much to say about politics, Los Angeles and everything in......